On May 30, I had the pleasure of serving as a presenter at the 15th annual International Latino Book Awards ceremony held at Instituto Cervantes in New York City. I was in very good (and fun!) company: actor-director Tony Plana served as the master of ceremonies for the event and presenters included golf legend Chi Chi Rodriguez as well as esteemed colleagues from the world of publishing. The Instituto was filled to capacity with Latino authors and admirers of Latino literature—a truly inspiring sight.
The International Latino Book Awards are presented by Latino Literacy Now in partnership with Las Comadres para las Americas and the Instituto Cervantes. Latino Literacy Now is a nonprofit organization co-founded by actor Edward James Olmos to promote literacy within the community. Since 1997, it has organized 52 Latino Book & Family Festivals around the United States. The organization also conducts the Latino Books into Movies Awards in an effort to increase the number of Latino-themed films that are produced. Las Comadres para las Americas is a nonprofit organization empowering women to be actively engaged in the growing Latino communities through online and face to face networks. Instituto Cervantes is a nonprofit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. Its mission is to promote the teaching of Spanish and to contribute to the advancement of the culture of Spanish-speaking countries. Instituto Cervantes is present on five continents with more than 50 centers spread out across many different countries.
The organizers and some of the winners of this year’s International Latino Book Awards at Instituto Cervantes, NY.
Read Related: The Latino Children’s Literature Movement
Since the International Latino Book Awards were founded, over a thousand books have been honored. This year saw the unveiling of the new “Award Winning Author” logo featured on pins that were handed to winners along with their plaques and certificates. Awards were also handed out for the first time to books written in Portuguese. It is worth noting that the International Latino Book Awards are open to self-published authors—for more information on how to enter next year’s awards, visit Latino Literacy Now’s website and sign up for their newsletter. This year’s group of entries was judged by over 60 notables within the publishing community.
I’ve highlighted here the awards given in the children’s categories. Click for a complete list of all 190 awards handed out that evening.
BEST LATINO FOCUSED CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK – ENGLISH
FIRST PLACE: Lightkeepers to the Rescue! by Marisa de Jesús Paolicelli; A Caribbean Experience Con Amor
SECOND PLACE: Sofia’s Awesome Tamale Day, by Albert Monreal Quihuis; Albert Monreal Quihuis
HONORABLE MENTION: How Hollyhocks Came to New Mexico, by Rudolfo Anaya; Rio Grande Books
BEST LATINO FOCUSED CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK – SPANISH OR BILINGUAL
FIRST PLACE: Conoce a Simón Bolívar, by Edna Iturralde; Alfaguara Grupo Santillana USA
HONORABLE MENTION: Pelito: The Move * La Mudanza, by Abraham Urias; Lito Publishing
BEST CHILDREN’S FICTION PICTURE BOOK – ENGLISH
FIRST PLACE: The Beautiful Lady: Our Lady of Guadalupe, by Pat Mora; Illustrators: Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher; Random House Children’s Books
SECOND PLACE: Grandpa Lolo’s Navajo Saddle Blanket, by Nasario García; University of New Mexico Press
SECOND PLACE: Walking Through a World of Aromas, by Ariel Andrés Almada; Illustrator: Sonja Wimmer; Cuento de Luz
HONORABLE MENTION: Mom Goes to War, by Irene Aparici; Illustrator: Mónica Carretero; Cuento de Luz
HONORABLE MENTION: Lightkeepers to the Rescue! by Marisa de Jesús Paolicelli; A Caribbean Experience Con Amor
HONORABLE MENTION: Life is Beautiful! by Ana Eulate; Illustrator: Nívola Uyá; Cuento de Luz
BEST CHILDREN’S FICTION PICTURE BOOK – BILINGUAL
FIRST PLACE: Guacamole, by Jorge Argueta & Margarita Sada; Groundwood Books
SECOND PLACE: Micaela: Despertar en Poesía * Waking Up to Poetry, by Adalucía; Cholita Prints and Publishing Company
HONORABLE MENTION: Periquito, The Story of Little Parakeet, by Georgette Baker; Cantemos
BEST CHILDREN’S FICTION PICTURE BOOK – SPANISH
FIRST PLACE: Cocorina y El Puchero Mágico, by Mar Pavón; Illustrator: Mónica Carretero; Cuento de Luz
SECOND PLACE: Egipto, by Pau Joan Hernández; Fernando Vicente; Editorial Combel
HONORABLE MENTION: Soy Feliz, by Alberto Agraso & Mony Dojeiji; Walking for Peace Publishing
BEST CHILDREN’S NONFICTION PICTURE BOOK
FIRST PLACE: Diego Rivera: His World and Ours, by Duncan Tonatiuh; Abrams Books For Young Readers
SECOND PLACE: Conoce a Miguel de Cervantes, by Edna Iturralde; Alfaguara Grupo Santillana USA
HONORABLE MENTION: La Malinche, by Francisco Serrano; Groundwood Books
BEST EDUCATIONAL CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK – ENGLISH
FIRST PLACE: Spike, the Mixed-Up Monster, by Susan Hood; Simon & Schuster, Books for Young Readers
HONORABLE MENTION: Lightkeepers to the Rescue! By Marisa de Jesús Paolicelli; A Caribbean Experience Con Amor
HONORABLE MENTION: Mom Goes to War, Irene Aparici; Illustrator: Mónica Carretero; Cuento de Luz
BEST EDUCATIONAL CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK – SPANISH OR BILINGUAL
FIRST PLACE: ¡Nos Divertimos con la Ciencia! by Ángels Navarro; Editorial Combel
SECOND PLACE: Colores Everywhere! by Madeleine Budnick; Trinity University Press
HONORABLE MENTION: Hello Círculos! by Madeleine Budnick; Trinity University Press
MOST INSPIRATIONAL CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK
FIRST PLACE: The Sky of Afghanistan, by Ana Eulate; Illustrator: Sonja Wimmer; Cuento de Luz
SECOND PLACE: Mom Goes to War, by Irene Aparici; Illustrator: Mónica Carretero; Cuento de Luz
HONORABLE MENTION: Micaela: Despertar en Poesía * Waking Up to Poetry, by Adalucía; Cholita Prints and Publishing Company
BEST YOUTH LATINO FOCUSED CHAPTER BOOK
FIRST PLACE: Border Town #1: Crossing the Line, by Malin Alegria; Scholastic Books
SECOND PLACE: Pueblo Fronterizo No 1: Cruzar el Limite, by Malin Alegria; Scholastic Books
BEST YOUTH CHAPTER FICTION BOOK – ENGLISH
FIRST PLACE: Love, Amalia, by Alma Flor Ada; Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
SECOND PLACE: Calling Him Dad, by Virginia Kamhi; WPR Books
BEST YOUTH CHAPTER FICTION BOOK – SPANISH OR BILINGUAL
FIRST PLACE: Oro, Incienso y Mirra, by Ariel González Calzada; Floricanto Press
MOST INSPIRATIONAL YOUTH CHAPTER BOOK
FIRST PLACE: Calling Him Dad, by Virginia Kamhi; WPR Books
BEST YOUNG ADULT FICTION BOOK
FIRST PLACE: When the Guns Fell Silent, by Edna Iturralde; WPR Publishing
SECOND PLACE: A Thunderous Whisper, by Christina Diaz Gonzales; Random House Children’s Books
HONORABLE MENTION: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz; Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
HONORABLE MENTION: The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano, by Sonia Manzano; Scholastic Books
HONORABLE MENTION: Ciudad de Huérfanos, by Avi; Editorial Bambu
BEST YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION BOOK
FIRST PLACE: The Pregnancy Project, by Gaby Rodriguez with Jenna Glatzer; Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
BEST EDUCATIONAL YOUNG ADULT BOOK
FIRST PLACE: Puberman El Enfrentamiento, by Maria Villegas & Jennie Kent; Illustrator: Ivan Chacon; Villegas Editores
SECOND PLACE: Lectura de textos: Análisis e Interpretación. Narrativa, Poesía, Drama y Ensayo. Siglo XX, by Eugenia Muñoz; Pearson Learning Solutions
MOST INSPIRATIONAL YOUNG ADULT BOOK
FIRST PLACE: The Day of Yesterday, by Edna Iturralde; WPR Publishing
SECOND PLACE: El Sendero Hacia el Exito! by Daniel Ramirez
HONORABLE MENTION: Micaela: Despertar en Poesía * Waking Up to Poetry, by Adalucía; Cholita Prints and Publishing Company
BEST CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK
FIRST PLACE: Animals in Our Neighborhood * Animales de Nuestro Vecindario, by David Lindgren & Dora Currea; Lindgren-Currea Family Project
BEST YOUNG ADULT IN PORTUGUESE
FIRST PLACE: O Sangue de Tua Tinta, by Daniel Spíndola Riberio; Thesaurus Editora de Brasília
BEST CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK TRANSLATION – SPANISH TO ENGLISH
FIRST PLACE: Walking Through a World of Aromas, by Ariel Andrés Almada; Jon Brokenbrow; Cuento de Luz
SECOND PLACE: Jungle Tales, by Horacio Quiroga; Translator: Jeff Zorrilla
THE MARIPOSA AWARDS: BEST FIRST BOOK – CHILDREN AND YOUTH
FIRST PLACE: I Am Happy, by Alberto Agraso & Mony Dojeiji; Walking for Peace Publishing
You and your kids’ “to read” list just became longer! Don’t forget to support Latino writing by buying Latino books. Enjoy!—Adriana
Adriana Dominguez is the Book Reviews Editor of Mamiverse. You may follow her @vocesblog, or visit her website: adrianadominguez.com
